If you are in charge or own a corporation in Chicago, you need to be aware of the Corporate Federal Sentence Guidelines. Federal sentencing guidelines differ substantially from those in applied in regular courts. It is important that you understand the variations and are able to contact a company, such as Chicago Compliance and Competition Consultants, in order to make sure your current overall approach does not oppose the laws and regulations in place.
Corporate Federal Sentence Guidelines
Federal sentencing guidelines have been put into place to handle serious crimes requiring more severe sentencing than those applied for a state offense of a similar nature. In federal sentencing of all types – from organized crime to white collar or corporate crime, a prison term is often considered mandatory. The rules are uniform in presentation and application. In general, the punishments are implemented according to and based on the degrees of seriousness. They are examined closely in accordance with three basic factors:
- Level of offense
- Defendant’s (This does include both individuals and corporations or associations) criminal history
- Sentencing zone
In the specific case of corporate federal sentencing guidelines in Chicago, the level of offense is considered in terms of the alleged financial or economic loss of the purported victim at the hands of the alleged corporation. No matter who the perpetrator of the white collar crime, his, her or its culpability is not a factor taken into consideration for stating the offense level.
The criminal record does, however, have an effect on what category the offense falls into. These are divided into zones ranging from A to D. The lightest sentence falls into A with between 0 and 6 months in prison. If your offense is classified as D, you and your corporation could be determined to serve anywhere from a single year to life imprisonment.
Avoiding the Offense
The best defense is a good offense. You can avoid the implications and fallout of corporate crime committed even unwittingly if you put into place a program that understands the corporate federal sentence guidelines and how to ensure the company follows an ethical path that complies thoroughly with the demands of the government and its representative agencies. By working with an agency such as Chicago Compliance and Competition Consultants, you will be able to discover the weaknesses in your corporate culture. You will learn how to establish responsive and ethical conduct. Together with an overtly expressed commitment to compliance with the current law, the creation and clear iteration of such policies will ensure you and your corporation can avoid the harsh reality that falls under failure to comply – the results that are stated clearly in the corporate federal sentence guidelines in Chicago.
